Those of you in our inner circle are probably tired of us talking about Italy, Italy, Italy! What is it about Italy that is so meaningful to us? Why do we visit there so often? Why did we buy property there? Why do we talk about it so damned much?
I don’t know the answer for sure, but I’ve always joked with Kriste that I must have been Italian in a previous life. When I’m there, I feel more relaxed, more at home, and extra comfortable and happy. It’s an inner peace that I think Kriste feels as well.
It’s also possible that Italy just happens to have been the first big international trip that Kriste and I took together as a couple and that our wonderful experience created a strong connection for us. In the end, I suppose it doesn’t really matter why we love Italy – we just do.
Buongiorno, Roma
In May of 2015, Kriste and I were engaged to be married and in the middle of planning our wedding. We didn’t yet know that our plans for a California-based wine and wedding experience would fall apart – that’s a story for another post! All we knew is that we were on a wonderful adventure together; learning some important (mostly humorous) lessons along the way, laughing, chatting, and thoroughly enjoying every minute of the Italian dolce vita.
After months of planning, our big trip began and we arrived in Rome to perfect mid-May weather. Our accommodations were halfway between the Tiber and the Piazza Navona – in a perfect position to do all the important touristy things; the Trevi Fountain, the Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, etc. We walked everywhere – stopping for lunch in random piazzas, shopping for souvenirs, and doing our best to avoid hawkers selling selfie-sticks, which were all the rage in 2015. Our one big pre-planned event was a private tour of the Vatican and St Peter’s Basilica. We had a fantastic guide, and this particular tour was one of the main highlights of our trip.
Florence
After a couple of days in Rome, we took a train up to Florence. The weather was pretty grim for our two days there, but we had a wonderful time anyways. We stayed in a really interesting apartment along the banks of the Arno, in a converted palazzo that supposedly once belonged to Napolean Bonaparte’s cousin.
Being our first visit to Florence, we again did the recommended touristy things; wandering the main piazza and around the Duomo, touring the Academia and seeing the statue of David, touring the Uffizi gallery, strolling over the Ponte Vecchio and wandering past the Pitti Palace and around the Oltarno neighborhood. Florence is an amazing city, especially for fans of Renaissance history and art, and we’ve been lucky enough to visit several times over the years. I don’t think we will ever grow tired of the Uffizi.
Tuscan Countryside
The remainder of our trip was spent near Cortona, during which time we had a rental car and the freedom to explore at will. We stayed in an agritourismo cottage outside of Cortona; wonderfully inviting and cozy and perfectly situated for our driving adventures. The couple that owned the place were fantastic and we loved being in the midst of a small working farm with olive and fruit trees, vegetable gardens, goats, ponies, chickens, stray cats, etc.
Every morning included an amazing homemade breakfast and coffee, and on one of our evenings we arranged a cooking class with the owners – homemade Pici pasta and Florentine steak on an olive-wood grill. Yum.
Cortona was a 10-minute drive from our cottage, and we enjoyed some fabulous meals there, plus general strolling about and shopping. Knowing absolutely zero Italian, we negotiated the purchase and shipment of a very large and beautiful ceramic plate with an extremely patient shop-owner and his neighboring shop owner buddies. We were not at all confident that we would ever see it again, but it eventually arrived in Phoenix and is still proudly displayed in our family room.
Other days involved longer car trips, the details of which I won’t bore you with, except to say that we got lost often (see below) and had a glorious time. The weather was perfect and the Tuscan landscape is everything that postcards promise. In addition to Cortona, we visited Pienza, Montepulciano*, Assisi, Spoletto, Pisa, Cinque Terre (an overnight trip), and Siena; incredible and unique places and worth every bit of the drive.
* Little did we know that Montepulciano would become a much bigger part of our story…
Thoughts on Getting Lost
Prior to our trip, I had run across an internet story about San Marzano Castle and it looked to be an interesting place to visit. Originally built in 1605, it was heavily remodeled in the mid-1800s in a Turkish Revival style and ornately decorated with mosaics in many of the rooms (e.g.: the Peacock Room). Since we love San Marzano tomatoes and it was (sort of) on our way from Cinque Terre to Cortona, we decided to give it a go.
The castle turned out to be very difficult to find; we got ourselves to the right general area, but the locals had no clue what or where were talking about and our weak language skills didn’t help. We drove around for what seemed like hours and were finally directed to a parking lot where we saw signs for the castle. Not adjacent to the parking lot, mind you, but a somewhat lengthy forest hike away. A hike that we did not have the proper shoes for but did anyways; up through beautiful glades, a Sequioa lined lane, and no one else in sight the entire time. We finally got to the castle and discovered that it had been abandoned, and not recently! So much for it being a tourist destination. We poked around the property and peeked in the windows and had a grand time.
And to truly top-off what was already a funny story, we subsequently learned that it wasn’t San Marzano Castle after all – it was Sammezzano castle. Oh well. Sometimes our best and craziest memories happen like this.
Lessons Learned
- Two days is not enough time in Florence
- Rallentare means “slow down”
- Do not travel by car in Italy without GPS, unless you like being lost
- Corollary – being lost lead can lead to incredible finds
- Italians are generally lovely, kind, patient, and happy people
- Language differences are an opportunity – not a barrier
- Cars are much smaller in Italy
- Italians love parades and festivals
The peacock room image is attributed to I, Sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15491726 All other images are personal photos from our own library.